


Otherside

by oohosh



Category: NCT
Genre: Angst, Depression, Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Running Away
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-03 23:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14579721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oohosh/pseuds/oohosh
Summary: The mountain roars with winds, waves crashing against the shore angrily as the moon hangs above. Kim Jungwoo sits, perhaps this is his consequence, consequence of leaving everything behind. He couldn’t have stayed, and now he was alone. Staying in a small town where nobody knows of his past, choosing to leave everything behind. Jungwoo brings the sleeve of his grey long sleeve and wipes his eyes, better.One afternoon, he stands on the curb if a street. It isn’t packed with cars rushing by, but its enough. He thinks about it, reviewing about the outcomes and how others would find out. He looks across the street, his eyes glistening with wet tears. Deeming attention from others around him, suddenly, Jungwoo watches the mysterious male exit a bar across the street. On the otherside of the steeet, their eyes meet and maybe for a second was there something. Something, special, a feeling that secured Jungwoo to stay put at the curb. Watching the motorcycle drive away, fading alomg with the writing imprinted on the side of the cyclists helmet.‘Lucas.’





	Otherside

 

The smell of cigarettes and alcohol probs the inside of the bus, the air conditioner releases a constant hum in the back of all the seats. Jungwoo’s against the chair, his neck pillow assisting the crank and small bruise on his neck. In front of him, sits others that are awaiting the bus to halt in another mile or two. The woman next to him is reading her newspaper, secretly scanning over it briefly as a normal daily review on weather and pop culture crowd the paper. The smaller woman notices the boy watching over her shoulder, the wrinkles on her face spreading to present an uneven smile. Jungwoo returns the gesture and immediately she coos. That’s the effect that the boy inherited, a smile enchanting to which many enjoyed the sight, weird to say but its true.

 

Back to glancing back forward while his dainty fingers pet through the fluffed locks. There’s a moment of silence on the bus, everyone like he, is waiting for the vehicle to abruptly stop. It does eventually. One of the first to stand and quickly exit his seat, Jungwoo reaches in the above department to take down the elderly woman’s luggage before his own. Quietly thanking him before strolling to the front of the bus. The taller boy follows behind the line of people walking in front, peering over some of their shoulders impatiently as they march.

 

The first smell of when exiting the bus is the crystal aroma of rain stained across the chalk of pavement, familiar but strange up close. Standing above were the Sunday morning clouds of where rain was waiting to be released. Around where the station dropped off was dirt and trees,  the area seeming another mile or two away from the main city. Jungwoo pinpoints a street sign, squinting to one of the bars nearby, faintly familiar to what his landlord described the location to be near.

 

He fishes the phone from his pocket and uses the device to his advantage to set the map for a curious venture. Planning to explore after dropping his bag at the small apartment more towards one of the busy streets.

 

* * *

 

  
“Jungwoo?” a shorter guy answers the door, the boy nods. Worried to make a wrong introduction but the other’s lips stretch wide. His square smile welcoming him inside before grabbing Jungwoo’s luggage for as a sign of hospitality. “You must be my landlord, Mr. Kim?” Jungwoo’s voice was a big try-hard, but it was in order to make a rather normal presentation. Nodding, the landlord dropped his items at the corner of a room located in the hallway.

 

“Yes, and this is your house to rest in temporarily, your friend assured me that you’d be leaving after you regain some bank. Is that correct?” his older accent made the younger sheepish to answer the simple question proudly. Mr. Kim not knowing the true reason for Jungwoo moving two cities away from his hometown and risk surviving with a thin string.

 

“Indeed,” the taller clears his voice. “it’s temporarily.”

 

“Alright, I’ll let you get situated. I’ll be collecting your first payment of rent next month on this date” he dropped the keys onto the hanger that held numerous amount of items. Jungwoo smiled, for the first time since meeting him.

 

“You’re smile is very adorable.” his voice showed hints of admiration, patting his jeans before opening the door and taking a first step out. “Well, enjoy your time here. Take care.”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

With the swing of the door, the apartment seems to reek of silence. Occasionally the pat of feet against the wood seems to emit a noise. Jungwoo reaches to draw his items to his room, the mattress cushioning his fall after dropping them at the foot. He takes out his phone and begins to scroll through the media still installed, the few that don’t have any correlation to anyone back home.

 

Slowly dragging his hand to the dip of Jungwoo’s stomach, feeling the insides groan in agony. It had been about seven hours since the last time he  ate, perhaps something light wouldn’t hurt. Jungwoo exits the currently opened apps and turn to maps, looking up closest diners. Immediately, five popped up. The closest was a mile from where he rested. Having a walk would help him exercise and digest the greasy food on the way back.

 

The decision was final, that being said, Jungwoo hopped off the bed and slid back on the shoes from the random spots he had kicked them to. Standing up and pressing his heel deeper into the shoe, patting the sides of his trousers before exiting in the direction of the door. Again, the cold air brushed against the surface of Jungwoo’s cheeks.

 

A whimper slipped through his lips, raising his hands to cup around the cold-kissed cheeks as Jungwoo glanced around the neighborhood. “So cold. So lonely.” the words repeated as he made way further down the street. There was evergreen in the trees, the rising sun reflected through the thick leaves. Time traveled, accompanying him was silence. Making a dangerous pair.

 

Jungwoo walked towards the beginning of what seemed to be the busiest street in the town. Aligned with cafes and smaller shops that were either still closed of starting to set shop. An older man pushed through the door of the diner of his destination. He smiled, the feeling eerily remaining on the boy for too long. He skipped quickly inside and walked to one of the many free booths. It seemed to be sprinkled with travelers and truck drivers that probably used this town as a rest spot. The dozens of hotels fitting the image perfectly.

 

“How can I get you started, handsome.”

 

A young woman approached the table. Her voice cherry picked with sweetness, the sway of her words singing perfectly to every customer probably. Jungwoo’s eyes crinkled a bit at the pet name, something he heard from older folks back home. “Coffee, with creamer if you have some.” he trailed his fingers along the ridges of the menu before opening so. “Alright, be right back. Also, creamer packets are right there.” glancing to the right of his position sat what seemed to be a bowl filled with smaller packages of half-and-half creamers.

 

He picked up two and set them on the table, stacking them mindlessly as he searched through the menu. All the meals seemed to be high in calories or sugar, a thought that made his skin crawl uncomfortably. Jungwoo settled with the eggs with rice and green veggies. Though, his stomach nearly jumped out when reading they served a speciality in chocolate pancakes.

 

“Ready?” she came back with the mug of dark stewed coffee, that smelled decent. He met hers and quickly blurted out his order without a second thought. The waitress laughed, the sound being admirable and cute. “I’ll make sure to get you that away, by the way, my name is Jisoo.” she recited.

 

“Jisoo, can I add an order of chocolate pancakes?”

 

“No problem sweetie, best ones in the entire area line.”

 

Jungwoo’s fingers twirl the cartons of creamer, ripping the lid and pouring the liquid over the brown scowling coffee. The aroma itched through the cavities of his nostrils as he lifted the beverage and tipped into the back of the throat. Jungwoo swallowed and wondered how many times will he’d come to this diner before they start asking about where he was from and who he was. It seems to be quiet, inside the entire diner. The crackle of meat and bubbles of stew are faintly heard from the corner in which he sat. His cup is placed again on the table and his fingers run around the edge, and for almost a second there is a peaceful swirl inside my chest.

 

The ring of the front entrance catches Jungwoo off guard, he’s not the only one to notice as the waitress quickly smiles towards the newest guest. Curiosity sweeps over Jungwoo as his head turns, meeting the direction that many of the fellow customers are glancing and stealing looks. There in the front of the cashier is a man, his hair tousled with an accompanying helmet sat at his waist. His skin runs tan, his hair pushed unevenly to one side as the rest of his body is wider and broad. The waitress and he talk and laugh for a second before she walks to the kitchen and he sits at a booth.

 

Jungwoo looks back to the table before he or the stranger could make the first eye contact, bringing the substance to his lips and letting the scolding liquid travel again down. The stranger walks to sit a few booths away from his, the position of the stranger facing towards Jungwoo. The man’s eyes instantly find interest in the menu already set ahead of him. Jungwoo leans forward, still watching him quietly, but instead knocks over the tower of small milk half-and-half cartons. The other’s attention flicking over to where he sat, hands furiously moving to dump all the packets back into the bowl. A deep laugh emits from his direction of the area. Heat seems to whisper through Jungwoo’s ears, a habit, grown from the overwhelming anxiety of being embarrassed easily.

 

An exhale of conjoined ‘ahs’ are collected in a small noise,

“Lovely.”

 

His eyes managed to catch that sly grin that spread across the other mysterious man’s face. Picking up the coffee, taking it to his lips once more. Eyes softening at the sight of the customer meeting his eyes directly, for the first time, with intent. Cool sensations crawl over Jungwoo’s cheeks, but heat burns down his throat. It’s both refreshing but wary. The stranger’s the first to break away, averting his attention outside. Time passes for what seems to be a few seconds, maybe it's a minute that Jungwoo dazes quietly into the abyss in his cup. Sounds of chit-chat, the crackle of oil behind the bar, accompanied by the sounds of cars rushing outside. It’s so loud but so quiet until the snap of a plate interrupts. He flicks scared to the source, the waitress with the plate of food and hand holding a cup of refill.

 

“Here you go, babe.” her silk skin crinkles into a smile, Jungwoo’s eyes watching for a second before bowing his head in gratitude. “Thank you.” she smiles, and it's then where she fills his coffee and sets down the side of toast next to the boy. Her hand pulls away, the other resting easily on her hips.

  
“You stopping by on the way to somewhere? Or visiting?” Jungwoo’s head tilts up, smiling with a tickle of comfort. “Ah-” there's a start.

“I plan to stay for as long as I need to.”

 

“Just you?” the raspy voice barely heard earlier barges into the conversation. For a small second, it makes Jungwoo grin wider. “Yes. Just me.” his eyes wander over to his, the round orbs perked with a reflecting light brown in them. He doesn’t look Korean, nor does his accent reflect any trait of a native root.

 

“What was your name? I don’t think I got it.” the waitress ripped the small paper from her notebook, sliding the check underneath the coffee mug. The shorter, quiet boy cleared his throat, saliva running dry on the tip of the tongue. “It’s _Jungwoo_.”

“What a cute name.” her voice coos, tucking her booklet away and walking away to the booth over. They begin a conversation but Jungwoo respectfully turns full attention to the food, mouth salivating at the sight. grabbing the fork before pinching some of the egg, guiding it inside to devour for the first bite.

 

Jungwoo chews fast, craving more, despite having eaten at midnight. There was still a growl of hunger for something more comforting. Jungwoo looks over to the outside world, eyes spotting the progress of more and more people taking the streets. There are families, but also an even proportion of strangers walking lone. He takes another full bite of eggs and veggies into his mouth, blinking tiredly to what others may be doing today. Then that’s when the smell hit, sugary wheat with the hint of cocoa. Jungwoo turns and again is the waitress, her face beaming with the reflecting happiness he shows.

 

“Thank you!” Jungwoo’s voice is rather cheerful in contrast to previous conversations. Handling the plate and centering it in front of him, using the fork from earlier and slicing a piece of the edge that shares melted whip cream. There’s a second of hesitation, knowing the boy will beat himself over it later, but still, he shoves the pancake into his mouth. Too occupied to hear the deep laugh from a source watching him curiously. The same pair of orbs who posseses a new interest in the town's new, _cute_ , citizen. 

 


End file.
